In 1945, the BSI began to grow in size. Forty nine people attended the Dinner, including bookman Ben Abramson, New York Sun editorial writer Rolfe Boswell, novelist Charles Fulton Oursler, and horror and fantasy author Manly Wade Wellman. Theodore Spencer (with Philip Rhinelander at the piano) sang songs from his cantata “The Arrest of Wilson, the Notorious Canary Trainer.” Manly Wade Wellman spoke on “The Great Man’s Great Son.” Rolfe Boswell read a paper on “A Connecticut Yankee in Defense of Sir Arthur.” Edgar W. Smith spoke on “The Adventure of the Veiled Author.” Richard Clarke presented “A Message to the B.S.I. from the Five Orange Pips.”
Dinner Details: January 5, 1945
Murray Hill Hotel, 112 Park Avenue at East 40th Street, NY, NY
Dinner Photo Information
As far as we know, no group photo was taken of the January 5, 1945 BSI Dinner.The photo above is the first page of Edgar Smith’s BSI Dinner Minutes that he distributed for every dinner between 1940 and 1960. The 1945 BSI Dinner Minutes image is from the digitized BSI Trust collection at Houghton Library, Harvard University. Click on it to see a larger version.
H. W. Bell as The Valley of Fear*
Roland Hammond as Silver Blaze
James Keddie Jr. as The Crooked Man*
Belden Wigglesworth as The Man with the Twisted Lip*
* received Investiture at another event during the year
What is an Investiture?
Two-Shilling Award:
Not awarded until 1962.
What is a Two-Shilling Award?
The Woman:
Not identified; possibly none.
What is The Woman honour?
"Stand with me here upon the terrace..."
(as named at this Dinner, not their year of passing)
None this year.
What is the origin of “standing on the terrace?”
Morley-Montgomery Award:
Not awarded until 1959.
What is the Morley-Montgomery Award?
List of 1945 BSI Dinner Attendees (digitized image at Harvard)
The Baker Street Irregulars, Irregular Proceedings of the Mid ‘Forties, ed. Jon L. Lellenberg, (New York: Fordham University Press, 1995)
Hall, W. S., “Famous Last Lines of Sherlock Holmes” (digitized images at Harvard)
Quiz given at dinner. 4 pages. Sequence 95-98.
Previous dinner: the 1944 BSI Dinner
Next dinner: the 1946 BSI Dinner
For an index to all BSI Dinners and photos, see our BSI Dinner Summary list.
The BSI Archive is located at the Houghton Library at Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Archival material may be used by any qualified scholar, subject to the normal rules and regulations of the Library. For links to a detailed finding aid and related information, see our BSI Archive at Harvard page.
Page composed on 10/15/14 by Andy Solberg.
This page last updated 3/21/15 by Andy Solberg.
BSI Honours List
Investitures:H. W. Bell as The Valley of Fear*
Roland Hammond as Silver Blaze
James Keddie Jr. as The Crooked Man*
Belden Wigglesworth as The Man with the Twisted Lip*
* received Investiture at another event during the year
What is an Investiture?
Two-Shilling Award:
Not awarded until 1962.
What is a Two-Shilling Award?
The Woman:
Not identified; possibly none.
What is The Woman honour?
"Stand with me here upon the terrace..."
(as named at this Dinner, not their year of passing)
None this year.
What is the origin of “standing on the terrace?”
Morley-Montgomery Award:
Not awarded until 1959.
What is the Morley-Montgomery Award?
Reports on the Dinner
1945 BSI Dinner Minutes (digitized images at Harvard)List of 1945 BSI Dinner Attendees (digitized image at Harvard)
The Baker Street Irregulars, Irregular Proceedings of the Mid ‘Forties, ed. Jon L. Lellenberg, (New York: Fordham University Press, 1995)
Recordings
None available online at this time.Related Materials
The Trust does not have a 1945 Dinner Menu. If you have a copy, or even a scan of one, please contact us.Hall, W. S., “Famous Last Lines of Sherlock Holmes” (digitized images at Harvard)
Quiz given at dinner. 4 pages. Sequence 95-98.
Previous dinner: the 1944 BSI Dinner
Next dinner: the 1946 BSI Dinner
For an index to all BSI Dinners and photos, see our BSI Dinner Summary list.
The BSI Archive is located at the Houghton Library at Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Archival material may be used by any qualified scholar, subject to the normal rules and regulations of the Library. For links to a detailed finding aid and related information, see our BSI Archive at Harvard page.
Page composed on 10/15/14 by Andy Solberg.
This page last updated 3/21/15 by Andy Solberg.
